Dreams of Smoke and Shadow
by RealToughCookie
Summary: When a young woman comes across a badly wounded 'man' she has no choice but to help, and Throttle has no choice but to accept and to come to terms with what he may have to do to protect himself, his Bros and his mission. Throttle/OC. Rated M for later


**A/N This story is a little AU and I'm unsure as of yet what part of BMFM I'll be setting it in, somewhere inside the original series though.**

**I hope you enjoy it and will want to read more. Let me know your thought. Criticism is welcome as long as it's helpful and not rude.**

**Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own anything from BMFM including Throttle (dammit! _) I only own Karla and the situation/plot!**

---

Karla sat on the front porch of the run-down house that had been in her family since she could remember. In her youth it had been beautiful, white washed and clean but since her family no longer saw eye to eye about anything it was left up to chance and goodwill to keep the building repaired and updated, over the years it had fallen into a bad state of disrepair. The wooden boards were beginning to rot from damp, the paint was peeling off in ugly strips and inside wasn't much better but at least the damp hadn't found its way into the cosy rooms within. She knew she couldn't just leave the poor old plantation style building to become nothing but ruins but she could never bring herself to make that phone call to the local builders or plumber or whoever else she knew she should be calling. The truth was she liked the fact the building never seemed to change, even when the world outside of this secluded little spot in the Deep South changed and rushed forward at a hectic speed, this place stood still. It was her retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city when it became too much, her little bolt hole when she didn't want to deal with what was going on in reality.

Still, Karla didn't feel like she could complain, her life wasn't fantastic but at least she was happy eighty percent of the time. True, in her twenty five years she'd not really gone anywhere with her career or her life, still stuck in that mind numbing nine to five job with dreams and fantasies of becoming something so much more. But she had no idea what she wanted or what she'd be ultimately happy doing, so because of ease and the fear of change she carried on living the life she knew. If she admitted it plainly she was being lazy, the extra few pounds that sat uncomfortably around her hips and thighs stood testament to that. Still she was an attractive woman, a fact she'd only really become aware of after high school, perhaps she was the only one to notice her flaws now, no one else seemed to or if they did it wasn't mentioned. She supposed she had good points, her hair was the one thing she was vain about, it was long, reaching past her shoulders, dark brown and at this moment, thanks to her boyfriend, had a few red streaks running through it. Her eyes were a deep hazel and according to a few of her friends the extra weight she gained from too many ice cream sundaes and take-out food gave her a 'curvy figure'.

It was blindly walking through her life in this same way that she'd met JD. She'd been twenty three and he'd been twenty five. She still didn't quite know what had drawn her to him, he was not her usual type of man. He was the kind of guy that hung out at rock concerts, wore ripped jeans, drank too much and always had a smartass answer for everything. But aside from those things he'd been hot as a red hot poker in the looks department, a little sly with a mischievous twist perhaps but still it had been easy to fall and Karla had fallen, fast and hard. She'd always considered herself a level headed person but around JD she'd become a complete fool. She cringed at the thought of how much she'd done for him, how easily she'd been used for all these years. She even ignored the evidence that he was cheating on her, unable to face up to the fact that he would do that to her, she'd just wanted to stick her fingers in her ears and block all of it out, pretend her world was perfect and he loved her. Two nights ago it had all been brought clearly to the front of her thoughts; the truth had been like a blow from a sledgehammer. She couldn't ignore the woman standing at her and JD's front door stating she was going to have his child in a few months. Karla had stared at the woman's large, pregnant stomach and the world had spun, not literally of course but the woman's voice had just become a noisy drone that she couldn't make any sense of and the colours before her blurred as her little life came crashing down around her.

Of course a nasty exchange between her and JD had taken place as soon as he got home from his latest job and heated words were thrown at each other. She'd never really thought how she'd react if someone she claimed to love ever put their hands on her, but during that blazing argument JD had delivered a stinging slap to her cheek in a fit of rage and she'd become frozen as if rooted to the spot. She'd just stared at him in disbelief and shock before her senses came down to earth with a hefty thump and without a word she'd shoved a good amount of her clothes into a bag and got out of the apartment before he could calm down and try and win her round. Karla wasn't delusional, she'd known the moment JD thought it was okay to lay a finger on her it was over and she'd fled here to her retreat to gather her mess of thoughts and try and pick up the pieces of her shattered pride and life.

Out here she could turn off her cell phone and disappear off the map for a while. She knew JD had no idea about this place and she could take her time in licking her wounds and getting back on her feet. At the thought she brushed her hand across her cheek, it still felt swollen and sore and the skin was slightly discoloured from an ugly bruise that appeared a few hours after the blow. But she knew it would go soon and that would mean she wouldn't be forced to think of JD every time she looked in a mirror and she took some solace in that fact. At the bitter renewed memory of his betrayal not only in fidelity but trust, Karla's eyes stung with hot tears. She brushed the wetness angrily away, refusing to allow herself to cry, not over him, never again.

Karla permitted her gaze to sweep across the lake that wasn't too far from where she now sat. It was a clear, warm night and the stars twinkled down at her from their lofty vantage point. Casually she reached out and curled her fingers around a wine glass before she downed the remaining ruby red liquid. She was beginning to feel light headed having had half a wine bottle all to herself. She poured herself half a glass, mentally taking note that she shouldn't have any more after this if she didn't want an aching head when she woke up in the morning. She returned to sipping her wine, listening to the calming lapping of the water and enjoying the beautiful night sky.

Perhaps things would change once she returned back home, of course she'd have to find a new place to live and there would be a lot of explaining to do to friends not only as to why she and JD had broken up but why she'd disappeared for a while. She suspected JD would have them all up in arms looking for her, doing his usual trick of making a mountain out of a molehill. She gave a long sigh and looked over her shoulder, towards the dimly lit doorway. She supposed she should really at least contact her friend Anna and let her know she was ok before they called the police and had a whole search party combing the woods outside the city. She heaved herself up and padded inside. It took her a moment to find where she'd left her cell phone but once she had located it she returned to her seat on the porch and resumed drinking her wine as she hastily turned the gadget back on and tapped out a quick text message. She pressed the send button and waved the phone about in the air, making sure she was able to find a signal. The cell gave an approving two beeps that alerted her to the fact that the message had been delivered. She pressed the off button and laid the phone down near her thigh. Distractedly she plucked at her dark blue jeans, half wondering what Anna would think and what JD had already told her, she supposed she'd find out sooner than she wanted to.

A cool breeze ruffled the leaves upon the trees nearby and she rubbed her bare arms, perhaps the black vest top she currently wore was not the best thing to wear at night here, it was warm but it wasn't summer anymore. She grumbled under her breath at having to get up so soon after she'd settled down but the goose flesh that had appeared across her skin told her she needed something warmer. She grabbed an old black hooded jacket off the banister. She knew she should get rid of it, a rather large hole had appeared under the arm on the right side and the hood was frayed and discoloured from constant use in the rain. She made her way back outside, determined to not get up again once she sat down. Karla pulled on the jacket as she walked and glanced up at the stars again. A bright flash from the corner of her eye caught her attention and her head snapped in that direction. For a moment she thought what she was seeing was a rather large shooting star but it only took her a moment to realise that her first assumption was wrong. The 'star' was not gliding majestically across the velvet black sky it was falling down, fast and with a speed that caused the fine hairs upon the back of her neck to bristle with alarm. Her mind flashed to the thought that it could be a meteor and her hand went out to the banister of the porch, she suddenly felt the need to steady herself as the ball of light continued its descent. As she watched Karla became aware that it was heading towards the lake, her side of the lake to be exact. As if she had no control over her movements she took an unsteady step forward, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease experiencing this strange situation miles away from the nearest neighbour. Her mind flashed up scenes from the TV show The Twilight Zone or Tales From the Crypt and she gave a small nervous chuckle, it was just a lump of rock, she'd studied them in school... true she hadn't been paying attention to what the teacher had been saying but she did know there was nothing to be scared of, at least not as long as it was a small rock that wouldn't end up landing on top of her, the house and the entire state. She shook her head, playfully scolding her herself for having such an over active imagination. As the ball of light made its destination certain Karla slipped her feet into a pair of black pumps and, wrapping the jacket tightly around her torso for extra warmth, she began to walk down to the edge of the lake, hoping that she'd see the rock make an almighty splash in the water.

Half way there she found that her steps weren't as certain as she'd have liked, in fact her vision was slightly blurred. It seemed the wine had gone to her head a little more than she'd thought. She stifled a giggle, enjoying the free feeling of being able to stumble over her own feet without being reprimanded or given scornful looks.

She snorted a laugh. "Like JD had a leg to stand on with drinking!" She proclaimed to her silent surroundings.

Finally she reached the shore and took a few steps too many, ending up stood in the cool water. She gave a squeak of surprise and backed out, her eyes once again drifting upwards. The ball of light seemed to be right above her now and it had a glow to it that seemed a little strange. Karla squinted, trying to locate exactly what it was that didn't make it look quite right but before she could linger upon the question for even a second the ball had smashed into the water about twenty feet from where she stood. The spray seemed to jump several feet into the air and the sound of rushing water filled her senses as a fine mist coated her skin making her shiver.

"Woah!" She whispered, her eyes fixed on the place the rock had become submerged under the lake. She pondered for a moment what it could have been but the combination of the chilly droplets of water that clung to her and the cool night air made her long to be back at the house, snuggled under a large blanket with that last glass of wine.

She turned on her heel and began to head back towards the welcoming light that glowed from the building before her. It took her several steps before she heard the hurried slosh of water; it wasn't the gentle lap that the lake normally made but a desperate splashing of movement. Karla whirled around her eyes searching across the surface of the lake and with the aid of the faint light of the moon she made out distinct movement in the water. She took a step forward, her eyes trying to focus upon just what it was that she was seeing. A crawling sensation seemed to cover her scalp as her mind revealed what was before her, a figure was swimming with lagging strokes through the water. Karla gave a startled noise of surprise and her thoughts flashed up all kinds of answers, a plane crash, a parachute gone awry... of course that didn't explain the ball of light but Karla didn't have the presence of mind to dwell upon the smaller details.

She rushed down to the lake side once more and waved her hands in the air, jumping off the ground in an effort to gain the swimmer's attention.

She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey!" She shouted. "Are you okay?"

To her great relief the figure raised a hand out of the water and signalled that they were alright.

"Do you need help?" Karla yelled. "I can't swim too well."

Again the figure raised a hand and signalled for her to stay put. Karla paced the bank a little waiting for the stranger to come ashore and hoping that she had enough battery left in her phone to make an emergency call. Of course she did, she had to! She inwardly scolded herself for having such pessimistic thoughts. Right now all that mattered was getting this person out of the cold lake and wrapped in a warm blanket then she could think about calling an ambulance.

"You're doing great." It felt like a foolish thing to say but she couldn't just stand there doing nothing. "Not far now, keep swimming!"

It seemed an eternity before the drenched form dragged themselves up onto the muddy bank. Karla's eyes widened as she became aware that they were towing something heavy behind them, tied to their waist with a long sturdy rope.

"Christ!" She exclaimed. "You shouldn't have worried about whatever that is, you might have been killed!"

The man remained silent, for now the figure was fully standing before her she could clearly tell it was indeed a man. He was tall, at least a good head over herself and his build was muscular. His face was obscured by a helmet that only seemed to confirm in Karla's mind that he must have fallen from some kind of aircraft. The man lifted up his hand, telling her silently to give him a moment to catch his breath. He bent over, resting his hands upon his knees as he let out a spluttered cough.

"Are you okay?" Karla stepped forward and gently touched his shoulder, feeling soft material beneath her fingers. It seemed he was wearing a fur coat, it was soaked through but she supposed that it may keep the cold water away from his skin, perhaps he'd be able to stay warm a little longer at least until she could get him into the house.

The man took a deep breath and straightened up. "I need to rest." He managed, his voice was deep, throaty but weak.

"Are you hurt?" Karla squeaked unsure what to do if this was the case.

He gave a stiff nod. "But I'll live."

"Come on, my house is just there." She gestured behind her. "I have blankets and a cell, I can call for help."

He gave a gruff sound that almost sounded like a growl. "No, I'll be fine I just need to rest, please."

Karla nodded. "Okay sure, let's just get you inside." She hesitated. "Do you want me to untie your rope to... whatever that is?"

The stranger glanced behind him and shook his head. "I'll do it. He turned and heaved the heavy object a few feet up onto the bank. From where Karla stood the outline looked like a rather large motorbike but she dismissed the idea, it was probably an aircraft seat, in this dim light she couldn't really trust her eyes. When he was ready he turned back to her, the rope curled around his arm.

"Do you need to lean on me?"

Again he shook his head. "It's not far, I can make it."

Karla gave a certain nod. "Okay, sure." She began to walk towards her house giving small glances back to make sure he wasn't struggling after her. Each time she was startled by just how large this guy was and that his crash helmet was an odd shape, it seemed to stick out at the sides giving far too much head space. She shrugged, she was sure she'd learn more of his story and how he'd ended up in the lake once they got inside.


End file.
